Trainspotting

This novel by Irvine Welsh was adapted by John Hodge into a film in 1996 directed by Danny Boyle. It is ranked as one of the top ten British Films of all time and the novel has sold millions of copies internationally and achieved cult status in this country.The plot of the novel is complex to say the least but basically focuses on what causes and sustains drug abuse mixed with themes of sex, violence, national identity and pop culture. Practical Magic have further complicated things by shortening the piece and present a selection of their favourite bits in order. It would be almost impossible to follow if you don’t have a working knowledge of the plot which is sad, because it’s a very good story.The cast are not bad, with a special mention to Dan Todd for an excellent performance as Mark, however, the direction of this piece isn’t good with there being a tendancy to form a straight line and fight for the centre spot, or stand slightly off centre and emote when not the focus.The set isn’t great either – a pair of train seats (that look like they’ve been stolen rather than functionally built into a design concept), make it impossible for the actors to directly address the audience so it's even harder to hear what they are saying on the rare occasions they project. That’s not to mention the toilet – which is very funny – but caused very clunky scene transitions that had a mainly soporific effect on the audience.Also – a large group of people bearing the company’s logo on their shirts were sitting at the back and laughing early (some even had the nerve to applaud gags before the punchline) which is great, but if the audience don’t hear the joke/plot point, the only people enjoying the show are the people who made it. It could be argued that’s a little selfish when clearly a lot of work has gone into this production and you’re charging for tickets.